Orin shot him a glare. “We afford her that dignity, so that she does not appear weak.”
Everything about Mavis seemed weak. Focusing on the minute rise and fall of her chest, I tried to find the crack in her glamour, in the subtle shifts of movements. Maybe then I could pry apart the veil and gaze upon what lay beneath. But her mask was strong, and the only thing I succeeded in doing was sparking an ache behind my eyes.
“It will be hard for me to mend if I can’t see the truth,” I said, shifting my attention to Orin.
He studied me for a long moment. “When you’re ready, we can discuss removing her glamour. Until then, we find it best to keep her condition hidden. Not to mention, our glamour acts as a bandage to keep her blight at bay, and we don’t want to needlesslyrisk anyone else getting sick.” He gestured to one of the attendants still quietly manning the wall with her hands clasped behind her back. If she was surprised by the news of Mavis’s illness, she didn’t show it.
“Gods forbid we taint her reputation,” Rorik muttered.
“Mind your tone, Rorik,” Seville snapped. She flashed her pointed fangs in a hiss. Rorik shrugged, then placed his empty chalice on the table.
“All right, you two. Seville, take Grandmother to bed.” Orin stood and brushed his hands along his vest. “Rorik, do whatever it is you do—just not here.”
Rorik stiffened in his chair, his golden eyes alight with an intensity that seemed steeped in history. “Edira requested to see her brothers. I was going to escort her.”
“I’ll handle it.” Orin brushed him off with a flippant wave before coming around to my chair and extending his elbow. “Come. I’ll show you the way.”
Everything in me screamed to ignore his proffered gesture, but I wound my hand around his arm for the same reason I waited to eat: fear. I wasn’t sure I could trust these seemingly innocuous acts of kindness. Even though they needed me to save Mavis as much as I needed them to keep my brothers alive, I couldn’t let myself forget that I was now living in a den of monsters. They’d manipulated me into working for them, and they’d do it again without a second thought.
No, there were no kindnesses here. And the sooner I cured Mavis or died trying, the better.
“I’m sorry,” Orin said quietly as we exited the dining room.
“For?”
“That.”He gestured limply over his shoulder, defeat tugging at his frame and making him seem almost vulnerable. The ratcheting anger in my chest dulled, and I let out a heavy exhale as he continued. “And for not immediately telling you about Mavis’s blight.”
“It’s all right.” Was it? I knew I’d been recruited to help cure blight, but I’d assumed it’d been some of the attendants who were infected. Not anEver. I stared at the floor as we made our way to the foyer and climbed the stairs. A few steps groaned beneath our combined weight, and the quiet creaks filtered through the air and seemed to grow louder as they bounced off the near-silent halls. For a house so full of stuff, it was incredibly empty.
Orin’s gaze flitted around, as if following the hollow sound, and he sighed. “Dinners like that never happened when my parents were around. Everything was so much easier back then.”
A familiar pain simmered deep in my heart. “If you’re the head of household now, was your father before you? Or your mother?”
His smile was wistful. “My father. He was an incredible person. If I turn out to be half the man he was, I’ll be happy.”
“I’m sorry he’s not around,” I said, though I wasn’t quite sure why. Likely because Orin’s voice carried a small, aching tremor of hurt that I knew all too well. It called to me and softened some of the fear still lingering in my bones.
Orin’s smile was sad. “I’m sorry for your loss, too.” He must have been referring to Rowena, but my heart faltered for a breath. I wasn’t ready to share my parents’ death with him. I hadn’t talked about it with anyone. Who could really understand? Who could comprehend the guilt, the agony, of having the power to heal but being so utterly helpless and incapable when they needed it most? Orin watched me closely until we reached the far end of the hall. He paused before a set of double doors. “Your quarters are through here.” He nodded toward the brass handles. “We have dinner as a family every evening. You’ll be expected to attend. You may take your other meals however you please. Of course, if you’d like someone to dine with, I’ll join you whenever you want.”
“Well, if I find myself in need of dessert or a stroll, I know who to ask.” I arched a brow as I repeated his earlier offer, and he grinned.
“The offer still stands.” His gaze roved over me, lingering for a second on my clothes. Something raw and dangerous flickered through his eyes. “We did manage to bring a few of your things, but our attendants have taken the liberty of filling your wardrobe with additional garments.”
A slow-moving heat climbed up the sides of my neck. “Should I even ask how you managed to secure my measurements?”
The curl of his lips was downright provocative. “I provided some of your clothes as reference. Pity it wasn’t a more... hands-on assessment.”
A playful spark lit his gaze, and words escaped me as heat rushed over my cheeks. Evers and their words. This was undoubtedly a ploy to unsettle me, to make me more amicable to his orders. And yet, the intrigue in his stare had me biting my lip.
Finally, he laughed. As he straightened, he removed his arm from mine, giving my body—and mind—space to process his words. “Someone will be by in the morning to assist you with whatever you require and go over your schedule for your work.”
“My brothers?”
He pivoted toward another closed door on his right. “This is normally an attendant’s room, but we had them placed in here. You may visit whenever you have free time.”
My hand was already on the knob when I halted. “Thank you.”
“Thankyou, Edira.” With gentle fingers, he caught a lock of hair lingering against my cheek. He rubbed the strands together, and a faint black film spread across his thumb and forefinger. Sadness flared in his eyes. “I can only imagine that you hid all these years because of us. I don’t know what you’ve been told about Evers or what to expect, but...” He seemed to grapple with his words, swallowing twice before continuing. “At least you don’t have to hide any longer.”
